WhatsTheWhyFi.com
If I can get even one person to chuckle to themselves the next time they ask for the wifi somewhere, like, "Steve, you son of a bitch, you got me", mission accomplished. Seriously, pack it up. We're done here.
Beyond that, I'm hoping this is therapeutic for me, and if I can help anyone along the way, I'm here for it.
I'm 38, recently retired from corporate life, married to an amazing woman, and together we have 3 young boys who we're homeschooling. So when I say retired, I'm not riding my bike around the beach in a straw hat and flip flops, tying one on at noon. Sadly, it looks a bit different. But I love it. I couldn't think of anything better to leave work for, but it's certainly not easy.
There are already a ton of great resources out there on how to achieve financial independence, many of which I'll share here, and I'm not going to say it better than Mr. Money Mustache or JL Collins. Personal heroes of mine I hope to someday meet and thank graciously over a few beers.
But I've always been an extremely reflective person, and if I can help any of the spreadsheet-hungry, number-go-up-obsessed, goalpost-moving, FI-aspiring people out there make an emotional connection to the life they're actually trying to build, away from the numbers, then dammit, let's do it.
WhatsTheWhyFi.com is a stupid name, I know. It doesn't pass the radio test. But it makes me laugh, and if we can't enjoy ourselves, what are we even doing here.
The whole point is to explore the why. What's the WHY part of your FI journey?
To make a cheesy connection: it's like showing up to a coffee shop ready to log into work and get shit done. But without the internet you're rendered useless. Only once you ask for the wifi are you able to use your energy toward your intended purpose. Otherwise you're just sipping on a coffee making unwanted glances at the cute barista behind the counter.
With financial independence it's kind of the same. You bust your ass saving and investing, watching your net worth grow, dreaming of the day you can tell your boss to go pound sand. But when that day finally arrives, if you've never explored the why in your FI journey... well, you're likely just going to end up spending your days sipping on a coffee somewhere making unwanted glances at the cute barista behind the counter anyway.
Most people think they know what they'd do with their time if they didn't have to work. If they're being honest with themselves, they don't. If you're not already doing things you enjoy in your spare time, they're not just going to appear the day work ends.
It takes time to rewire your brain from being accountable to someone else to being fully accountable to yourself. No longer can you use work as an excuse for your shitty habits. There's no one else to blame. This is the blessing and the curse of financial freedom — you're going to find out who you really are, quite quickly in fact.
But dammit, go easy on yourself! Give yourself some grace. You've just done something most people don't, and won't, ever understand.
You're not going to start a business or suddenly be awesome at guitar on day one. (My piano stares at me daily, judging whether I ever really wanted to play it in the first place.) If you're like me, you're going to take some time to actually celebrate this thing. You'll find yourself being more present. Things that used to feel urgent won't anymore. You'll drive a little slower, breathe a little deeper, and pretty soon you'll start losing track of what day it even is. If it weren't for my old-man pill box, I might just drift off into space entirely.
If you ever want to reply, shoot me a note at whatsthewhyfi@gmail.com — I read everything.
